I need to do better...

 I had a memory come back to me. I work at Water Street Mission in Lancaster City, and I hold groups every week (BC: aka Before Coronavirus). During these groups, I would try to come up with a topic to share with the guys. I think this week we were talking about family. I remember sharing a story with some guys about my family and I can’t remember the phrase but the idea had to do with punishment as a kid.

Now in my head, I understood this as not a severe punishment, but still enough to be annoying. There were two gentlemen in my group that took it the other way. They asked me about it and I explained what I meant. When they heard it, they laughed because how they understood it was “getting their ass beat by dad”.

Now why do I start with such a random story? It shows a flaw in our thinking. We don’t understand everyone's situation and our experience is different.

This is a hard truth to hear because I used to be apathetic in my thinking towards the Black Lives Matter Movement. I probably had the thinking that some have, about all lives matter. Part of that comes from this Christian worldview and part of it comes from my lack of keeping up with the news. What I didn’t understand is that I wasn’t focusing on the plea of a community who is experiencing injustice.

I don’t understand everything the Black community has experienced or experiencing now and the truth is; I’m a white male and will never be able to comprehend it. After speaking to friends, who are Black, it opens my eyes to a world I don’t know. They do fear for their families. They fear for their husbands, wives, and children. They worry about being killed because of the color of their skin.

This breaks my heart because people don’t feel safe. This breaks my heart because families are losing loved ones. This breaks my heart because they are losing these loved ones to those who are called to serve and protect.

I am privileged because I’m white and a male. I more than likely will not have to experience these feelings of fear. This truth about me should remind me that I am privileged but it doesn’t mean I get to sit quietly.

Two things that have really hit me hard this week. First, due to what is currently happening, I need to listen to those who are Black. Listening is going to help us hear the cries of oppression. It will allow us to learn and allows us to be wrong in order to get a better understanding. Most likely we won’t understand but we can at least stand with our brothers and sisters in the black community and say enough is enough.

Secondly, we can step up and push back when we see something is wrong. One of the reasons I became a Christian, was because Jesus stood up for those who were treated poorly. He would let people know the importance of a person's life. I believe if Jesus was in person now, he’d be doing the same for the black community. He’d let people know the truth and work towards restoration. We can also start calling things for what they are as well. What this cop recently did to George Floyd was murder and the cops around him were accomplices. These cops deserve to be charged. This is the truth. 

Like I said, I don’t have answers and I could be wrong even in what I write. I’m willing to admit it because like I’ve mentioned numerous times, I don’t understand. I need to be better and listen. I do stand with my Black brothers and sisters at this time. I want justice for the Black community. 

In the end, I’m sorry because I’ve been apathetic and uneducated. I admit, I played my part in the problem. I want to use my voice to hopefully instill some hope that people can learn and change. I want to teach my kids the importance of knowing when to stand up for others when they see something wrong. Thank you to those who have helped educate and help me see the truth: Black Lives Matter.

If I've said anything wrong, feel free to present those things to me. I do want to be educated and become a person of better understanding. Thank you!